ASCILITE NEWS

Conference 2023 Update

Early Bird extended by an extra 48 hours. Closes midnight (NZ time) Tues 24^th Oct: We’ve been so immersed in our conference planning we forgot Mon 23^rd Oct is a Public Holiday in NZ!  So we have extended early bird registrations by 48 hours to make sure we’re available to answer any last questions at ascilite-2023@canterbury.ac.nz.

The first of our “Getting to know your keynotes” series features David White and is available on the TELall blog. How digital education can contribute to  teaching and learning that is both ‘effective’ and the ‘meaningful’ is one aspect of what David will unpack with in his keynote.

Now’s the time to start planning your outfit for the our “Old Skool” conference dinner theme. Featuring  “your favourites” playlist, a fabulous old school cover band, birthday celebration (do you know how old ASCILITE is this year?) and Te Pae’s seasonal and sustainable culinary delights.  Did you know that at least 90% of the food served by Te Pae at the conference will be sourced from within Canterbury, so that we reduce our footprint, while showcasing the best of our region and supporting local producers?

ASCILITE Executive election results

The ASCILITE Executive would like to thank all those members who took the time to cast their vote in the recent Executive Committee election.

This year, the President, Vice President and three non-office bearer positions were up for election.

Professor Michael Cowling (Central Queensland University & current Vice President) was elected unopposed to become the President for the 2023 – 2025 term.

After a close vote Associate Professor Elaine Huber (University of Sydney) was elected Vice President.

Associate Professor Kwong Nui Sim (Sydney International School of Technology and Commerce), Professor Sue Gregory (University of New England) and Dr Hazel Jones (Griffith University) were re-elected to the executive committee.

Profiles of the Executive Committee members may be found on the ASCILITE website here.

Congratulations to all those who were elected to the committee!

Call for collaborators for a new learning analytics research project

As an outcome of the ASCILITE Community Mentoring Program 2023, we seek potential collaborators with text processing experience for a future learning analytics project. The goal of the project is to automate the analysis of student self-reflection texts using Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning techniques (as seen in Bai & Stede, 2022). This project will help educators identify students’ learning needs to provide personalised, timely feedback and recommend learning activity pathways. We are keen to kick this project off towards the end of 2023 with a view to publishing the outcomes in 2024.

For more details or if you’re interested in being involved, please contact Kranthi Addanki at Kranthi.addanki@jcu.edu.au.

TELAS Reviewer Certification workshop (online) Nov 9 and 10

The Technology Enhanced Learning Accreditation Standards (TELAS) are a set of internationally benchmarked standards designed to assess the quality of online learning, particularly in relation to the tertiary sector. They provide institutions with the means to assess and evaluate the affordances of their online learning environments and thereby guide quality enhancements.

The next TELAS Reviewer Certification Workshop is now open for registration.

Location: The workshop will be conducted fully online via Zoom.
Date: Thursday 9^th November & Friday 10^h November,
Time: 10am – 1.30pm (AEDT)
Cost: $250(members);  $400 (non-members – includes 12 month ASCILITE membership fee).

For further details and to register, visit the TELAS website.

Please direct any queries and/or expressions of interest to admin@telas.edu.au.

ASCILITE LD SIG: October webinar recording

In the latest LD SIG webinar Associate Professor Robert Ross (La Trobe University) discusses educational escape rooms.

Watch the recording here

For those not familiar with educational escape rooms: they are are highly engaging, team-based learning experiences where students work together to solve problems within a time-critical narrative. Educational escape rooms are a new frontier within game-based learning and are widely applicable across age groups and discipline domains.

ASCILITE LD SIG: LDHack Hybrid Melbourne Workshop – October 27 2023 FREE all welcome!

Date: Friday 27 October, 2023
Time: 10am – 3:30pm, lunch provided
Location: Hybrid – online and Melbourne at La Trobe University City campus, 360 Collins Street 3000
Register: here
More info: LD Hack website
Cost: FREE for everyone – light refreshments and lunch provided!

Workshop details

Gear Up for the ASCILITE LDHack Hybrid Melbourne Workshop!
The day springs to life with A/Prof Rob Ross and Dr Richard Hall from La Trobe’s Engineering department, leading you through thrilling Educational Escape Room Challenges. Dive headfirst into an immersive, hands-on session and be ready to be captivated!

But wait, there’s more!
Kerry Clarke, La Trobe’s esteemed Senior Indigenous Developer Advisor, will then cast a light on the intricate tapestry of indigenous cultural perspectives to curricula design. And just when you think it can’t get better, Leona Norris from RMIT steps in to masterfully break down the fine art of scaling and upholding quality in learning design.

Exciting afternoon awaits!
Carve out some afternoon time for a one-of-a-kind encounter. Bring to the table a design quandary you’ve been wrestling with and brainstorm solutions collaboratively with peer learning designers. It’s the perfect platform to converse, collaborate, and find camaraderie among fellow enthusiasts. And of course, an unparalleled networking opportunity is right at your fingertips!
Whether you’re just dipping your toes in the field or you’re a seasoned expert, irrespective of your discipline or sector, you’re warmly invited. Choose to connect with us in person in Melbourne (only 40 spots available) or online (also limited to 40). And don’t fret – our seasoned facilitators (Dr Keith Heggart, Dr Kashmira Daves, Kate Mitchell and A/Prof Leanne Ngo) are geared up both online and at the Melbourne venue to assist you.

Secure your spot now!
The anticipation is palpable – Register Now

ASCILITE TELedvisors webinar + UTS LD meetup: Finding leadership pathways in the wilds of learning design

Date: 31 October
Time: 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm AEDT
Register and more information here

So what does it mean to be a leader in learning design, and how can we chart a course in that direction? What are the skills and competencies that help learning designers prepare for leadership positions? We’ll explore these questions and more, together with panel guests Tam Nguyen (UNSW), Amanda Lizier (UTS) and Kelly Pattison (Circular Learning) at the upcoming UTS Learning Design Meetup, held in collaboration with the ASCILITE TELedvisors SIG. (TELedvisor webinar regulars, note that this is a Tuesday lunchtime event.).

TELall Blog: ASCILITE23 series: Getting to know our keynotes – David White

Meet our first keynote speaker David White, a person way ahead of his times. When the world was still grappling with web-based technology and the internet, he was already advocating for the web as a ‘real’ place with tremendous opportunities for teaching and learning. His tech solutions-based approach to education makes him a fountain head of ideas and innovation. Read more here

ASCILITE Annual General Meeting (AGM) 4 December – Save the date

The ASCILITE 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place during the annual conference on Monday 4th December (1PM NZDT) at Te Pae Christchurch.

We encourage all current members to attend the meeting. Further details will be circulated in the coming weeks.

New issue of AJET published with special guest editorial

A new issue of AJET is now available. Along with a great selection of new and interesting articles, this month we have been very fortunate to have a guest editorial by Professor Emeritus Peter Goodyear. In this editorial entitled “An education in educational technology”, Peter explores the importance of research and development in the field, the way that theory is used, and why educational technology should be called educational technology. It is a must read for the ASCILITE community and everyone who has an interest in educational technology. You can access the editorial and new issue of AJET here.